InfoAnda - Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Greek pilots see red from laser pen pranks | 20 August 2009
Clooney, Google, U.N. watch Sudan using satellites | | 29 December 2010
ICRC appeals for release of kidnapped staff in Philippines | 22 January 2009

China says will not threaten anyone with modern | | 5 June 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead Reuters - Friday, January 14 Send IM Story Print By Ed Davies BRISBANE, Australia - Australia's third-largest city started cleaning up stinking mud and debris on Friday after some of the country's worst floods on record, but in a sign of the task ahead, it could take six months to pump flood waters out of Queensland's coal mines. Many suburbs in the state's capital Brisbane, a city of two million people, remained submerged after floodwaters inundated the riverside city on Thursday. The floods in Queensland, which started in December 2010, have killed 19 people. Tens of thousands of homes have been inundated with floodwater and more than 60 people are missing. "Right now we are still rescuing people, we are still evacuating people. So we are right in the middle of the emergency response," said Queensland state premier Anna Bligh, who has described Brisbane as looking like a war zone. "We need to brace ourselves, when this goes down and its going down quite quickly, its going to stink -- an unbearable stench," said Bligh. The disaster has crippled Queensland's infrastructure and its coal exports, pushing up world prices by around a third. The event has been blamed on the strongest ever recorded La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific, which has also affected other countries. Heavy monsoon rains and flooding across a third of Sri Lanka have killed 23 people, forced 100,000 to leave their homes and threatened food supplies on the island. Sri Lanka's agricultural ministry said at least a fifth of the nation's rice crop had been destroyed, raising concerns over supply shocks and higher food inflation. Rising food prices are stoking global inflation with many agricultural commodity markets driven higher by bad weather in key producing countries. Record food prices are also raising the risk of riots in developing nations and trade protectionism. FLOODS STILL CUTTING COAL EXPORTS Bligh said her government would concentrate efforts to help the state coal industry meet demand in Asia, after Commonwealth Bank estimated the floods would remove 14 million tonnes, or 5 percent, of global coking coal exports this year. "This is critical right now, to get that supply chain fully functional," Bligh told reporters. Australia's Gladstone Ports Corporation said on Friday it will restart some coal export shipments on Saturday as rail lines serving the terminal reopen and it begins to replenish stocks that have fallen to two days of supply. Freight operator QR National said on Thursday that its Blackwater line serving Gladstone could resume service as earlier as Jan 20. The line has been closed since December and serves the state's biggest coal miners, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Xstrata. They have all declared force majeure, unable to meet export contracts. Still, a lack of equipment means that it could be up to six months before mines can return to full operation, mining contractors said. "There's just nothing left to hire, all the pumps are working non-stop," said Dave Walker, who manages water pumping for Total Water Management. "It could be months before all the water is out." Australia provides almost two-thirds of the world's metallurgical coal exports, most destined for Asian steel producers. Ninety percent comes from Queensland. CYCLONE THREAT STILL HIGH Military aircraft and trucks fanned out across Queensland state, ferrying food and clothing over an area the size of South Africa, as the weather bureau warned the threat of cyclones and fresh rains would last until March. But a cyclone forming in the Coral Sea, which had threatened the coast, had begun moving north into the Pacific, said state premier Bligh. "We'll keep watching it, but maybe our luck is about to change," she said. The flooding, which started before Christmas, continued in other areas of Queensland, with the 6,000 residents of Goondiwindi, southwest of Brisbane, facing a record flood. As the country's wild weather continued, police evacuated communities in neighbouring New South Wales state overnight as flooding threatened the border towns of Boggabilla and Toomelah. Torrential rain in Victoria state also led to evacuations in Halls Gap and Glenorchy, northwest of Melbourne, with a flood peak expected on Friday morning. The town of Beaufort was also under threat with a nearby lake threatening to burst banks, police said. CITY A STINKING MESS In the centre of Brisbane, a drop in the swollen Brisbane River left foul-smelling mud covering areas beside the city's cultural centre and Wheel of Brisbane tourist site. Aerial views of the city showed a sea of brown with rooftops poking out, but the water was receding. Boats have been used in many areas to reach houses, with sofas and fridges floating in water. Residents have no idea when they might be able to return to their homes. "Nobody told me this would become this serious, this terrible," said Su Liu, a Chinese student studying marketing at the University of Queensland. She fled her home near the riverside university on Tuesday as water poured into the second floor of her apartment building and was now sheltering in an evacuation centre. Power has been restored to 170,000 homes, but power company Energex said 66,000 homes across southeast Queensland remained without electricity. Bligh called on insurance companies to show compassion and flexibility. Many Queenslanders, thinking they were covered against floods, have discovered that is not the case, she said. Economists have estimated the flood damage at A$5 billion, with $1 billion of that to be underwritten by insurers. "It's not in the interests of anyone in our community, including those companies, to stall or delay recovery," said Bligh, whose disaster handling has won wide praise, reviving ruling Labor's flagging hopes of re-election in the state. Polling last year showed only 28 percent of Queenslanders would support Labor at elections due next year, while Bligh's own popularity was so low that resurrecting her support was an "impossible mission," Brisbane's Courier-Mail newspaper said. Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles 'Six killed' in attack on Pakistan woman constable AFP - 10 minutes ago Scotland to sample Shackleton's Antarctic whisky AFP - 14 minutes ago Watchdog warns of Vietnam media clampdown AFP - 28 minutes ago Ageing China offers silver lining for investors Reuters - 35 minutes ago Japan PM reshuffles cabinet in budget push AFP - 41 minutes ago News Search Top Stories N.Zealand flood rescuers get Aussie snake catcher Fiat-Chrysler deal on the line as workers vote Phelps returns to the swimming pool in Texas Oscar hopeful Firth gets Hollywood star Fed chief sees US growth up to 4.0 percent in 2011 More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Falling blackbirds baffle Arkansas officials Hasta la Vista: Arnie quits as California governor Goldman deal 'values Facebook at $50 billion' Spain lotto winner nearly loses millions by tossing tickets Brazil's 2010 trade surplus lowest in 8 years: official More Most Viewed » More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Weekend Edition Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo! Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Entertainment Photos Yahoo! News Network Copyright © 2011 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Friday, 14 January 2011
Lebanon in turmoil as caretaker govt steps in
Italy's top court curbs 'Berlusconi immunity law'
Lebanon to start talks on new government on Monday
MTS estimates 2010 Russia handset sales rose 25 percent
Fed chief sees US growth up to 4.0 percent in 2011
Al Qaeda claims kidnapping of Frenchmen found dead |
South Sudan vote will meet global standards
Ship carrying acid capsizes in Germany, 2 missing
Bruno Mars' "Grenade" Launches Back Into The #1 Spot On Billboard Hot 100
Web filters not 100% foolproof against risky sites: EU
Biden, Maliki focus on economic ties in Baghdad talks
US trade gap shrinks, but not with China
Brazil flood deaths rise to 388 |
Russian crash report is incomplete: Polish PM
NATO: 2 Afghan civilians killed in violence
Gbagbo loyalists target UN as stand-off escalates
US jobless claims rise more than expected
Death toll rises above 300 in Brazil floods
China unlikely to accept Iran invite to tour nukes
Italy's top court rules Berlusconi can face trial |
Medvedev acknowledges graft progress scant, seeks law |
Jordan dump Saudi Arabia out of Asian Cup
Golden Globes to launch Hollywood awards season
Biden visits Baghdad 'to celebrate progress'
Myanmar's Suu Kyi in party ban appeal
S. Korea, Japan ships in island dispute
Social gaming market to pass $1 billion in 2011 |
US warns China on protectionist 'folly'
U.S. may challenge Google's ITA deal: sources |
Floods force a million Sri Lankans from homes
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
US wants S.Korea trade pact by July
Student who hacked into Palin's e-mail enters prison |
Japan steps up checks over German dioxin fears
Tinie Tempah leads BRIT music award nominations
Starbucks to enter India with Tata tie-up
Actor Peter Fonda discovers dead man in car
China arrests 96 over tainted milk
RIM shares jump after India deal; new phone leaked |
Life imprisonment for Chinese who evaded toll fees
A Minute With: Paul Giamatti about "Barney's Version"
China launches trial to allow overseas yuan investment
SAP software sales jump outshines lawsuit drag |
Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry to sing at Grammys
Hearing sheds light on Michael Jackson private life
Japan's Fast Retailing quarterly net profit dips 35%
Golden Globes to launch Hollywood awards season
US wants Korea trade deal approved by July
Stieg Larsson's partner bids to finish final novel
Russian internet game puts Medvedev in firing line |
Warhol, pinball all appeal at Dennis Hopper auction
Three Indonesia soldiers on trial over torture
USDA unveils new healthier school lunch guidelines
Southwest pilot holds plane for grandfather of murdered toddler
Initial jobless claims jump by 35,000 to 445,000
Oscar-winning Indie film "Once" getting Broadway adaptation
Bruno Mars' "Grenade" Launches Back Into The #1 Spot On Billboard Hot 100
Court Lifts Stay On EPA Greenhouse Rules In Texas
Fugitive found after 30 years of hiding
Dita Von Teese's cleavage too "offensive," says "CSI" bosses
Banks foreclosed on 1 million US homes in 2010
Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry to sing at Grammys |
FDA limits acetaminophen levels in combo drugs
Actor Peter Fonda discovers dead man in car |
Tinie Tempah leads BRIT music award nominations |
A Minute With: Paul Giamatti about Barney's Version |
Hearing sheds light on Michael Jackson private life |
US-TECH Summary
U.S. may challenge Google's ITA deal: sources
SAP software sales jump outshines lawsuit drag
Russian internet game puts Medvedev in firing line
RIM shares jump after India deal; new phone leaked
Taiwan, China to build first direct undersea cable
WikiLeaks chief blasts Chinese Internet censorship
S. Korea may charge Google with collecting personal data
News Corp. exploring options for Myspace
Britain's coalition gov't dealt by-election blow
Intel positive on PC growth in emerging Asia
Fiat-Chrysler deal on the line as workers vote
Intel earnings soar with rise of "cloud" computing
Phelps returns to the swimming pool in Texas
U.S. again urges North Korea to meet its obligations |
Oscar hopeful Firth gets Hollywood star
US videogame sales flat in 2010: NPD
Brazil death toll rises as rescuers battle floods |
Annual video game sales fall, better 2011 in view
Tunisian leader bows to unrest, sets departure date |
Scientists make chickens that don't spread bird flu
Amazon.com launches e-book series for Kindle
Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead |
Cuba allows visit with jailed American 'spy'
IBM prepares for machine vs man Jeopardy! showdown
Kazakh MPs back referendum to extend leader's rule |
U.S. warns on China cyber, anti-satellite capability
Nigeria's Jonathan wins ruling party primaries |
Tucson says farewell to youngest shooting victim
AOL outsources sports, health news coverage
June sentencing date set for ex-media mogul Black
Microsoft has best month for Xbox despite shortage
Japan PM changes cabinet but rough road ahead |
Foxconn engineer jumps to death in China: media
Haiti leader has doubts about OAS report: official |
U.S. again urges North Korea to meet its obligations
US Defense Secretary visits South Korea
Martha Stewart's mishap with own dog sends her to ER
Web outcry wins retrial for jailed Chinese toll dodger
Oscar hopeful Firth gets Hollywood star
China prepares for record Lunar New Year travel
Japan PM reshuffles cabinet in budget push
Backstreet Boys' A.J. McLean heads back to rehab
Japan PM changes cabinet but rough road ahead
Brisbane flood clean-up starts as damage emerges
Apple on a win streak as rivals regroup |
Air China sees 2010 net profit more than doubling
Strong Intel outlook eases longer-term tablet fears |
Intel positive on PC growth in emerging Asia |
Genitalia calendar whips up storm in Italy
Australia flood clean-up starts, tough task ahead
Annual video game sales fall, better 2011 in view |
Seoul shares open flat, banks rise, POSCO dips
Martha Stewart's mishap with own dog sends her to ER
IBM prepares for machine vs man Jeopardy! showdown |
"Spider-Man" musical delayed again
Not yet divorced Kelsey Grammer plans Feb wedding
Colin Firth downplays actors' importance to society
Social gaming market to pass $1 billion in 2011 |
Oscar hopeful Firth gets Hollywood star
U.S. warns on China cyber, anti-satellite capability |
AOL outsources sports, health news coverage |
"Glee Project" attracts Gleeks from far and wide
Kara DioGuardi booed for not answering 'Idol' question
The psychology of the Golden Globes dress
Not yet divorced Kelsey Grammer plans Feb wedding |
Spider-Man musical delayed again |
Colin Firth downplays actors' importance to society |
Kara DioGuardi booed for not answering 'Idol' question |
Martha Stewart's mishap with own dog sends her to ER |
Glee Project attracts Gleeks from far and wide |
Backstreet Boys' A.J. McLean heads back to rehab |
Intel earnings soar with rise of "cloud" computing
Apple on a win streak as rivals regroup
US may challenge Google's ITA buy: WSJ
Breastfeeding study raises doubts over guidelines
Gunshots and tear gas disperse Tunis protest |
EU has Azerbaijan 'support' for gas pipeline project
Chip sector jumps on strong Intel report, outlook
German inflation confirmed at 1.7% in December
Toll in Ivory Coast rises to 247 dead: U.N. |
News Corp, Apple delay iPad digital newspaper: report
Court clears ex-Delphi chairman of fraud charges
Apple's iPad enters Singapore classrooms
Italy's Berlusconi in probe over teenage girl |
N.Zealand flood rescuers get Aussie snake catcher
Sadr's followers demand Biden stay away from Iraq |
List of guests shrinks for Iranian nuclear tour |
North Sudan ruling party says south vote broadly fair |
Some question pep rally atmosphere at Obama speech
Seven Afghan taxi drivers killed by roadside bomb |
Any pause in harsh rhetoric may be short-lived
Hariri returning to Lebanon: Turkish official |
Japan protest Kawashima's red card
Philippines to restart talks with Muslim rebels
New Year parties a headache for staff in China
Thai cops to grill kids who stay out after 10pm
India's inflation leaps above 8%
Groupon, Pandora move on IPOs: sources |
News Corp, Apple delay iPad digital newspaper: report |
Chip sector jumps on strong Intel report and outlook |
Online dating is not just for kids, seniors say |
Analysis: Investors look to cloud for tech stock picks |
Wikipedia founder sees biggest impact yet to come |
U.S. agency sees problems in Falcone's wireless plan |
Korean director to judge at Sundance Film Festival
Tinie Tempah leads Brits nominations
China central bank vows to further loosen capital flows
Michael Jackson scents set for launch
The world's 8 most unusual hotels
Taiwan dollar price reflects market needs
Simon to face Troicki in Sydney tennis final
Pakistan's July-Dec foreign investment falls 15.4 pct
India's Tata Coffee shares jump on Starbucks deal
Lehman Brothers expects to pay creditors more cash
Seoul shares end up 0.9 pct helped by banks, autos
Pakistan
Jude Law returns to London stage in Anna Christie |
South Korea vows to keep 2011 inflation at 3 pct
KEPCO eying stakes in uranium enrichment firms -sources
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01